Within the past few months, Wellness Times has reported that the Mediterranean diet and its foundational fat, olive oil, can:

• Curb inflammation
• Boost brain power
• Enhance quality of life
• Reduce cancer risk
• Influence how genes behave

Now, a study published in the August issue of the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that a Mediterranean diet enriched with virgin olive oil eaten for two years may protect bone health.

Spanish researchers looked at 127 men ages 55 to 80 who were assigned to one of three groups: a low-fat diet, a Mediterranean diet with mixed nuts or a Mediterranean diet with virgin olive oil. 

In each of the men, researchers measured bone formation markers such as the amount of osteocalcin circulating in the blood. Decreased blood levels of osteocalcin indicate poor bone mass. The researchers found that the men eating the Mediterranean diet with virgin olive oil had significantly increased osteocalcin concentrations, suggesting a bone-building effect.

Previous test tube and animal studies have shown that olive oil intake reduced the risk of osteoporosis, a disease marked by thinning bones. “This is the first randomized study which demonstrates that olive oil preserves bone, at least as inferred by circulating bone markers, in humans,” said lead researcher José Manual Fernándex-Real, MD, PhD.  

The researchers note that the incidence of osteoporosis in Europe is lower in the Mediterranean areas, adding that olives and olive oil could help explain that decreased risk. 

In addition to olives and olive oil, the Mediterranean diet is rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and lean meats.